Marketing the Damaged Self: The Construction of Identity in Advertisements Directed Towards People with HIV/AIDS

This paper explores the identities projected in advertisements directed towards HIV positive individuals and people with AIDS. Fifty such advertisements were collected from three popular American magazines for gay men over a period of seven months. Analysis of the ads reveals a paradoxical presentation of people with HIV/AIDS, which offers simultaneous conflicting images of hope and fear, power and weakness, innocence and guilt. An interactive sociolinguistic model through which this contradictory discourse might be understood is presented, drawing on Goffman's insights on stigma management and the presentation of the self in social interaction. Advertisements directed towards people with HIV/AIDS, it is suggested, present a contradictory discourse in which the advertisers are positioned as 'the wise', offering to mediate the conflicting identities of the stigmatized. The identity values enacted in this contradictory discourse are further measured against American conceptions of communication and the self as observed by Carbaugh and others. The possible consequences of these positionings on the roles made available to people with HIV/AIDS in the wider social context are discussed.     

University Students’ Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Parenting and Gay and Lesbian Rights in Portugal

The purpose of this study was to explore university students’ attitudes toward same-sex parenting and toward gay and lesbian rights. A total of 292 participants, aged between 18 and 27 (M = 21) responded to a questionnaire measuring attitudes toward parenting by gay men and lesbians, gay and lesbian rights, and beliefs about the etiology of homosexuality. Results revealed that the majority of students were against gay and lesbian parenting, gay and lesbian equal rights, and believed that homosexuality has a social/environmental basis. It was found that sexual prejudice is highly prevalent in Portuguese university students, and implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Transition to Parenthood for Lesbian Couples

Abstract

While there is a slowly growing literature on lesbians with older children, the literature on the transition to parenthood for lesbian couples is scant. The current study examines aspects of the transition to parenthood experience for 29 lesbian couples. Specifically, this study explores aspects of couples' decision-making regarding alternative insemination (e.g., who would carry and bear the child, donor type), perceptions of social support across the transition to parenthood, and availability and use of legal safeguards (such as wills, powers of attorney, and coparent adoptions by nonbiological mothers). Future studies should explore how single lesbians manage the transition to parenthood. Research on lesbians and gay men who are pursuing parenthood through adoption is also needed.     

The Needs of Older Lesbians and Gay Men in Chicago

Abstract

The authors report results from a study assessing the social service needs of gay menand lesbians over 45 years of age in Chicago. Results suggest that this population is diverse and presents a wide range of needs. The authors advocate the use of a community organizing approach that involves older gay men and lesbians in the provision of services. The authors also highlight the need to consider the social context in which services will be provided.     

Seeking Help for Same-Sex Relationship Abuses

Abstract

Four hundred ninety-nine ethnically diverse gay men, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people were surveyed regarding use of resources to stop same-sex relationship abuses. Just over half (54%) reported seeking help, and most resources, with the exception of police, shelter and crisis hotlines, were considered helpful. When asked about perceived services needed, most participants focused on intra-psychic solutions rather than use of community or macrosystem institutions. Perceived or actual homophobia is the biggest barrier to seeking help. Women and people of color expressed a statistically significant preference for caregivers of the same gender and ethnicity, respectively, but indicated that this would not stop them from seeking assistance.     

Gay Youth

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing awareness among parents and social service professionals of the complex sexual identity development of adolescents. Despite this, adolescents continue to struggle to define their sexual identity. Gay and lesbian adolescents in particular are at risk for a host of problems, including substance abuse and suicide. In this context it is important for social service researchers to study adolescent sexual identity and to report their findings in such a way as to be accessible to professionals and to the public.     

“That's So Gay!”: Examining the Covariates of Hearing This Expression Among Gay,Lesbian, and Bisexual College Students

Abstract

Objective: The investigators examined the health and well-being correlates of hearing the popular phrase “that's so gay” among gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) emerging adults. Participants: Participants were 114 self-identified GLB students aged 18 to 25 years. Methods: An online survey was distributed to students at a large public university in the Midwest during winter 2009. Results: Participants’ social and physical well-being was negatively associated with hearing this phrase, specifically feeling isolated and experiencing physical health symptoms (ie, headaches, poor appetite, or eating problems). Conclusions: College professionals and student leaders must acknowledge that the phrase is a form of heterosexist harassment. As such, policies addressing diversity and harassment should address students’ use of this phrase, aiming to reduce its use. Additionally, colleges and universities should develop practices that counteract poorer well-being associated with hearing the phrase.     

Psychosocial Problems Associated With Homelessness in Sexual Minority Youths

Sexual minorities are overrepresented among homeless youths, and this is often related to reactions to their status as sexual minorities. While on the streets, they are at increased risk for victimization, substance and alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors, and mental health issues compared to homeless heterosexual youths. This article uses ecological systems theory to examine psychosocial problems associated with homelessness among sexual minority youths and reviews empirical literature examining outcomes related to homeless sexual minority youths including mental health, substance use, and sexual risk behavior. Implications for social work are discussed including practice, policy, and suggestions for future studies.     

Introduction

SUMMARY

This introduction to Lesbian and Bisexual Women's Mental Health reviews the need for research specific to lesbian and bisexual women's mental health. We also emphasize the need to provide research sensitive to the multidimensional nature of lesbian and bisexual women's lives. We provide a human ecological perspective consistent with lifespan developmental psychology and compatible with Clinical Social Work and Counseling Psychology as well as other interdisciplinary disciplines. With a strong emphasis on empirical research, this volume introduces readers to research that explores and reexamines the interactions between lesbian and bisexual women's mental health and the diverse social contexts in which they (we) live.     

Coming Out and Coming Home

This paper draws on the testimonies of British disabled lesbians and gay men about their experience of coming out as gay, and coming out as disabled. They reflect on the different aspects of their identity, and the interrelation of their sexuality and their disability. The respondents share their experiences of exclusion and marginality in both the disability and gay communities, and discuss where they feel most at home as disabled lesbians and gays.